African argument: Burkina Faso wants to cancel visas for Russians
Burkina Faso expects to introduce a visa-free regime with Russia in the next one to two years, the republic's ambassador to the Russian Federation Aristide Tapsoba told Izvestia. Currently, Russians do not need entry documents to visit 11 countries on the continent, and similar agreements are being prepared with four more countries. We are also interested in the influx of our tourists to Guinea-Bissau. At the same time, Moscow is increasing trade relations with African countries: trade turnover has grown by 60% over the past five years. Russia is able to offer the continent cooperation in the fields of security, education and energy, experts say.
When will the visa-free regime with Burkina Faso start working?
Burkina Faso wants to cancel visas for Russians in the next one to two years, the Ambassador of the African Republic to the Russian Federation Aristide Rapugdondba Ludovic Tapsoba told Izvestia.
— Negotiations are not underway yet. But in the future, we will have a joint commission on this (visa waiver. — Ed.) it will be possible to start talking. It can take a maximum of a year or two," the diplomat told Izvestia.
We are talking about the intergovernmental Russian-Burkinese commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. The decision to create it was made in May, and the new body should be operational by the end of this year. Issues of economic and humanitarian cooperation are stated as priority topics.
Currently, when traveling for up to 90 days, a visa must be issued online on the website or at the consular department of the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Moscow. So far, tourism between our countries has been extremely poorly developed: since the beginning of the year, about 500 Russians have visited this state. In particular, the lack of access to the sea has a negative impact. The possible cancellation of the visa regime may indeed provide an incentive to increase the tourist flow.
However, the difficult situation in the country remains an obstacle. For example, in July, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam Wal-Muslimin militants (recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia and banned) attacked a military base, the Associated Press reported. Ivan Kopyttsev, a junior researcher at the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Africa in the Focus of Russian Interests program at the MGIMO Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia that Moscow is concerned about the danger of importing extremism.
Burkina Faso is currently in the red zone of most foreign ministries in the world, and international tourism there is not yet possible, Maya Kotlyar, founder and CEO of MAYEL Travel, emphasized in a conversation with Izvestia. Currently, the interest in this country and the Sahel as a whole is more academic and humanitarian than tourist.
— The Sahel region is a zone of contrasts. There is a huge natural and ethno—cultural potential there: unique landscapes, nomadic traditions, craft communities, national parks that could become a magnet for seekers of authentic experiences," she noted.
In addition to visa cancellation, the establishment of direct flights is required for the development of tourism. Currently, you can fly to Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso) via Istanbul or Addis Ababa, ticket prices range from 90 thousand to 125 thousand rubles. According to the Ambassador of Burkina Faso to the Russian Federation, negotiations are already underway with Aeroflot to launch direct flights between Russia and his country, as well as, possibly, with neighboring Sahel states — Mali and Niger.
According to Ivan Kopyttsev, direct flights to Burkina Faso are unlikely to be in high demand, but there is no doubt that having such an option at least once or twice a month would help strengthen ties with the Sahel States Alliance.
The development of relations between Moscow and Ouagadougou accelerated after Ibrahim Traore came to power in 2022. The leader of Burkina Faso announced his country's support for Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. The volume of mutual trade is also growing. Thus, by the end of 2024, the trade turnover increased 4.8 times compared to 2023. The basis was the export of Russian food products, agricultural raw materials, and chemical industry products.
Expanding cooperation between Russia and African countries
Strengthening ties with the countries of the African continent has become one of the priorities of Russian foreign policy. In 2019 and 2023, the Russia-Africa summits were held, which were attended by dozens of leaders. There is a huge potential in African countries, which is growing exponentially, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized in 2023.
The foundation of strong relations with Russia was laid thanks to the USSR's help in the struggle for the independence of African countries, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the National Regulatory Authority of Guinea-Bissau, Gerry Manet, told Izvestia. By the way, he himself studied in Russia at the Faculty of Engineering and Economics.
— Russia and Guinea-Bissau have already established special relations in terms of visiting countries. We have minimized the bureaucracy for obtaining a visa. Guinea-Bissau is very interested in the influx of Russian tourists, and we are doing everything possible to make it easier for them to visit our country," said Gerry Manet.
More and more African countries are becoming accessible to Russian citizens. Earlier, Izvestia wrote about the preparation of agreements on the mutual cancellation of visa requirements for short-term trips with Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini. Currently, Russians can visit 11 African countries without a visa. Compatriots can stay in Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia and South Africa for up to 90 days, Cape Verde and Mauritius for up to 60 days, Angola, Botswana, Malawi and the Seychelles for up to 30 days, and Sao Tome and Principe for up to 15 days.
The visa-free regime can serve as a serious incentive for the development of bilateral relations with different countries.
At the same time, Moscow can offer cooperation in various areas: infrastructure development, including the construction of nuclear power plants, assistance in mining, high-quality education and military assistance.
"In the field of security, Russia provides support to the national armed forces and government—loyal militias in the fight against the militants of a number of terrorist groups,— said Ivan Kopyttsev.
Construction of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant
Rosatom State Corporation conducts projects of various scales in more than 20 African countries, including the construction of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt, and plans to launch nuclear power plants in South Africa and Ethiopia are being discussed. According to estimates by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, 35 thousand students from African countries studied at Russian universities in 2024, and their number is growing.
Despite the anti-Russian sanctions, trade is also developing. Over the past five years, Russia's trade with African countries has grown by more than 60%, from $16.8 billion to $27.7 billion, and by the end of the decade this figure will increase to about $50 billion, according to Sergey Katyrin, head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
These figures are still far from the volume of African trade with China ($283 billion in 2023) and the United States ($72 billion in 2024). However, the trend is important: Russia is increasing cooperation with the countries of the continent, especially in such sensitive areas as energy, education and security. Russian officials emphasize that Moscow is building equal cooperation and is not creating blocs in Africa.
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